The Safe Way to High-Pressure Oxygen

WALTER THALMANN SULZER TURBO Over the last few years, there has been a tendency to employ oxygen with continuously higher pressures for gasification processes that are required, in particular, for thermal power plants. Nowadays, plants operate with discharge pressures of 85 bar. The compressor concept developed and perfected by Sulzer Turbo over many years has proven successful and fulfils not only the current, but also future requirements.
Numerous materials such as iron and steel, which are employed in the field of classical mechanical engineering, can burn intensively in an oxygen atmosphere if they are heated fiercely. This can result in extensive damage and, since stand-by machines are seldom installed, also lead to extended shutdowns. Consequently, particular care should be taken in the planning, choice of material

1I An oxygen compressor from Sulzer Turbo is installed in this air-separation plant in Germany.

and the manufacturing operations for oxygen plants (Fig. 1I). This applies not only to the compressor itself, but also to the accessories such as heat exchangers, pipework and valves. After a series of accidents experienced with compressors (in some cases tragic), a number of manufacturers decided to form a work group comprising the most important manufacturers, including Sulzer Turbo, as well as operators of oxygen turbocompressors, at the beginning of the 1970s. Guidelines were elaborated for the safe construction and operation of such plants and are now available as a 5th revised edition. In the meantime, the work group has been affiliated to the European Industrial Gas Association (EIGA). As a manufacturer of oxygen turbocompressors, Sulzer can look back on a long tradition and has been one of the leading suppliers in this field for many years (Fig. 2I).

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2I The design and manufacture of high-pressure oxygen compressors calls for a high level of know-how. Photo: A compressor group, type RZ 35-6 and RZ 28-5, prior to transport in the Netherlands.

The first machine of this type was commissioned in Norway in 1929. It compressed 13.5 t/h oxygen to a pressure of 2.9 bar and was powered by a water turbine. The requirements have become much more stringent since then. Today, the call is for oxygen compressors with capacities of more than 100 t/h and discharge pressures of up to 85 bar.

PIONEERING WORK FOR OXYGEN COMPRESSION

Sulzer Turbo not only fulfils these requirements, but can also provide solutions for exceptional conditions. At the beginning of the 1970s, Air Liquide placed an order for a compressor which compressed 360 t/h oxygen from 95 to 100 bar in a test circuit. And at the beginning of the 1980s, Sulzer together with Air Products and Chemical Inc. built an installation in the USA in which tests were made with oxygen pressures of more than 140 bar (Fig. 3I). Air Liquide and Air Products both construct air separation plants for the extraction of oxygen, as well as nitrogen and argon from air for industrial applications. Extensive tests have been carried out since the beginning of the 1970s to study the ignition performance of various compressor components and to find suitable mate-

rials for the construction of oxygen compressors. The following were considered as possible causes for the outbreak of fire: Friction between the rotor and stator as a result of increased shaft vibration or bearing damage Rise in gas temperature due to vortexing in low-flow zones Impact of particles of dirt with components in the gas stream Surface erosion due to pollutants in the gas stream Collection and self-ignition of organic dirt particles in deadflow zones Electrostatic discharges Numerous tests, in some cases with oxygen pressures of up 170 bar, have been made over the years to estimate the potential

danger of such operating conditions. The ignition temperatures of the various materials employed in the construction of turbocompressors were also determined thereby. Rubbing tests were made with labyrinth seals and impact tests with particles (welding spatter, rust) that could be entrained with the stream of oxygen. Furthermore, friction tests were conducted with various materials to determine their respective ignition performance and burning behavior.

NO FIRE IN TWENTY YEARS

These tests led, in turn, to the elaboration of guidelines for the choice of material and the design of compressors. And as a supplement to the recommendations of the EIGA work group, they are

3I An oxygen pressure of 145 bar was attained with the Demox compressor. This is the highest oxygen pressure ever reached with a turbocompressor.

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observed accordingly for the design and manufacture of all Sulzer turbocompressors. The safetypronounced way of thinking with regard to manufacture is absolutely necessary in view of the destruction that an oxygen fire can cause: and has also proven successful. It is nearly twenty years since any of the oxygen turbocompressors installed worldwide by Sulzer has been destroyed or even damaged as a result of a fire. In the main, turbocompressors employed for oxygen differ from machines that compress other gases in the following points: Labyrinth seals for shaft and impellers, with circumferential monel metal strips (alloy consisting mainly of copper and nickel) and silver-coated seal inserts in the stator Impellers and diffusers made of high-alloyed steel Compressor casing and internals of spheroidal cast iron Axial safety bearing in every compressor casing Earthed shaft In contrast to other turbocompressors, there are also restrictions

with regard to the maximum peripheral speed of the impellers, as well as the permissible oxygen temperature as a function of the pressure. Furthermore, there are guidelines for the maximum admissible flow velocity in the pipework, depending on the oxygen pressure and the pipe material.

PREDICTION OF ROTOR STABILITY

The most important criterion in the construction of turbocompressors is the stability of the rotor. The best impeller efficiencies are worthless if the machine cannot be operated because of high shaft vibrations. The mechanical behavior of the rotor is extremely important for oxygen compressors. There is also a great danger that ignition will occur if the rotor rubs against the stator as a result of increased vibrations. In other words, it is very important to predict the rotor stability reliably already in the design phase. Subsequent improvements are frequently very expensive and delay the commissioning of the compressor.

Sulzer occupies a leading position in the field of mechanical calculations. Independent of the gas to be compressed, the stability of the operating rotor, i.e. during start-up and shut-down, as well as in case of increased unbalance, is subjected to an extensive lateral and torsional analysis. And particularly with high pressures, investigations are also made to determine whether any constructive measures are needed to counteract the excitation of oscillations from the labyrinth seals.

SILVER AND MONEL PREVENT IGNITION

As far as rubbing is concerned, the most critical positions in a turbocompressor are the impeller and shaft seals. To keep the efficiency high and gas losses low, the clearances provided in these areas should be as small as possible. Sulzer Turbo employs circumferential labyrinth strips made of monel (Fig. 4I). The seal inserts in the stator are silver-coated copper rings. This choice of material stems from the knowledge that silver does not ignite, but melts away beforehand. This means that the labyrinth strips can carve their way into the silver coating, without causing any major damage. Since the monel strips do not suffer any wear under such conditions, the labyrinth clearance also remains more or less unchanged, and the efficiency of the machine is not affected in any way.

Copper Silver

Labyrinth strips Rotor

4I Silver-coated copper rings are inserted in the labyrinth seals. The labyrinth strips can carve into the silver coating without causing any major damage.

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To avoid possible contamination, all the components are treated with the utmost care throughout the manufacturing process. Prior to the final assembly stage or, if necessary, after the trial run at works, the complete machine is dismantled again and every part cleaned in a special room for oxygen operation. All the openings are blanked off and the casing interior subjected to a slight nitrogen overpressure for the subsequent transport.

At present, the turbocompressor program for oxygen covers an inlet volume range of 3000 m3/h to 100 000 m3/h. With single-casing machines, it is possible to attain compression ratios of about 6 to 16, and with double-casing up to about 70.

ELECTRICITY FROM CRUDE OIL RESIDUES

A turbocompressor group from Sulzer Turbo, which compresses 38 t/h oxygen from 1.8 to 75 bar, has been operating in a gasification plant for crude oil residues since 1981. The group consists of two casings, which are split horizontally (Fig. 5I). A power station in Southern Italy with two Sulzer turbocompressors will be commissioned in the year 2000. Each of these machines is designed for the compression of 75 t/h oxygen to 85 bar (Fig. 6I). Crude oil residues from a refinery will be gazified with oxygen in a

6I Casing interior of one of the two oxygen compressors from Sulzer Turbo that will be employed in a power station in Southern Italy.

TWO DIFFERENT CASING DESIGNS

Two different designs are employed for the compressor casing. Horizontal-split casings are used for pressures of up to 75 bar, and vertical-split, barrel-casings for higher discharge pressures. The two designs can be manufactured without or with one or two pairs of branches for the external intermediate cooling systems.

5I This compressor group with a discharge pressure of 75 bar has been operating in Taiwan for more than 15 years.

downstream process and the resulting fuel combusted in a gas turbine to generate electricity. According to information received from the operator, this large-scale plant will provide about 2% of the Italian power requirement. Further plants of a similar magnitude are now being built in Italy and the USA. They are all equipped with high-pressure oxygen compressors from Sulzer Turbo. This underlines the leading position of the company for the manufacture of this type of compressor. Thanks to the elaborated concept, the extensive know-how and the wide experience gained over many years, Sulzer Turbo will also be able to fulfil the requirements of the large-scale plants that are now in the planning stage.

FOR MORE DETAILS

Sulzer Turbo AG Walter Thalmann, T722 Postfach CH-8023 Zrich Switzerland Telephone +41 (0)1-278 33 32 Fax +41 (0)1-278 29 89 E-mail walter.thalmann@sulzer.ch

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